The San Francisco 49ers will take on the Los Angeles Rams in a battle of NFC West Division rivals at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum on 12/30/18. The 49ers are out of the playoff equation and will try to spoil the Rams’ quest to lock up the second seed.
While the Rams are fighting for playoff positioning here, the 49ers are fighting for their position in the upcoming NFL Draft. A loss to the Rams would ensure that the 49ers pick second overall. A win would be a moral victory but it would also mean that they fall a couple (or maybe more) of spots down in the draft. Having said that, it’s unsure what the 49ers’ motive would be heading to this contest.
Nick Mullens has thrown for a total of 1,995 yards with 10 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He is the third quarterback to start for San Francisco this season after Jimmy Garoppolo and C.J. Beathard who were injured one after the other. Matt Breida has rushed for 814 yards with 3 touchdowns while tight end George Kittle has caught 79 passes for 1,228 yards and 4 touchdown receptions.
The Los Angeles Rams’ win over the Arizona Cardinals last week was a crucial one because it meant that the Rams still controlled their playoff destiny despite losing two consecutive games prior to that game. Now the Rams must beat the 49ers on Sunday to earn a first round bye. Should they lose, the Rams will need the Minnesota Vikings to beat the Chicago Bears. But why leave that to chance when they can earn it outright?
Pro-bowler Todd Gurley may not be available for this game after sitting out their previous game with a knee injury. With the playoffs in the horizon, the Rams may elect to sit him out for their final regular season game. Quarterback Jared Goff has thrown for a total of 4,489 yards with 28 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Robert Woods has caught 84 passes for a total of 1,195 receiving yards with six touchdowns.
San Francisco is 3-10 SU in their last 13 games played. The 49ers are 0-5 SU in their last five games played on the road. Los Angeles is 12-3 SU in their last 15 games played. The Rams are 6-1 SU in their last seven games at home. Head to head, the 49ers are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played.
If you like to go with trends, chances are you are thinking about putting your money on the underdog 49ers who are at a +370 right now. But if you look at the bigger picture, the 49ers are 4-11 and playing on the road against a 12-3 Los Angeles Rams who need a victory to secure a first round bye.
The San Francisco offense had two straight games passing over 300 yards per game but after throwing for just 232 yards in last week’s loss to the Chicago Bears, the 49ers passing game has seen a decreased production in four straight games. That’s not going to bring the victory against a Rams’ offense that ranks third in the league in scoring. Likewise, the Niners have not rushed for over 100 yards in their last four games and while the Rams will be without Todd Gurley, C.J. Anderson rushed for 167 yards in Gurley’s absence. I think these give the Rams the advantage, game-wise but that’s not it.
It’s common to see playoff bound teams resting their key players in the final week of the NFL regular season but for the Los Angeles Rams, they still need a victory over the 4-11 49ers to clinch a first-round bye. With that in mind too, I think the Rams have every motive to win this game. We’re picking the Los Angeles Rams to beat the San Francisco 49ers on 12/30/18.
The 49ers are 2-4 ATS in their last six games played. San Francisco is 2-5 ATS in their last seven games on the road. The Rams are 2-5-1 ATS in their last 8 games played. Los Angeles is 0-3-2 ATS in their last five home games played. Head to head, the 49ers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 meetings.
San Francisco is 1-4 ATS in their last five games against NFC West teams and 1-6 ATS against the NFC. But the 49ers are 4-1 ATS in their last six meetings against the Rams in Los Angeles and 5-1 ATS in their last six meetings overall. San Francisco has also covered four out of their last six games as double digit underdogs. The Rams haven’t been darlings against the spread and they have a +1 point differential in their last three home games. But remember that the Rams beat this 49ers team by 29 points earlier this season and even without Gurley, they have the offensive prowess to do the same here. Prediction: Rams -10
The total has gone under in six out of the last nine games played by the 49ers. The over is 4-2 in San Francisco’s last six games on the road. On the other hand, the total has gone over in four out of the last six games of the Rams. Head to head, the over is 4-1 in the last five games between these teams played in Los Angeles.
The over has hit in three out of the last four games between these two teams with an average combined score of 54.75. The over is also 5-2 in the 49ers last seven December games. The Rams missed star running back Todd Gurley in their last game but veteran running back C.J. Anderson filled in nicely, making the running game look good and their offense still lethal. I think Los Angeles is going to ram San Francisco here and pour in the points to get an all-important win. Prediction: Over 48
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